On my Own
by Kaburu
Summary: [Based on Harvest Moon] Hamutaro is a city boy moving over to a small town to be a farmer. After he gets over the hardships, will he find new friends and a very lucky girl?
1. Moving In

On my Own 

Various Pairings

By _Kaburu_

Based off of **Harvest Moon**.

- - - - **Prologue**- - - -

The property of the old man wasn't as it used to be. Those were the boy's thoughts as he stepped onto the land. Well, he wasn't a _boy_, exactly. His age was roughly around twenty-two. His creamy orangey hair was patted down nervously, making it look messier than it usually did, and his usual sparkling sea blue eyes were uneasy as they looked around. He was startled as he saw the fertile dirt dry and crusted, its top only growing bothersome weeds. It was spring! Surely the land should be flourishing with crops now! And the barn…its paint was peeling, and its barn door was wide open, showing its few contents – a small fodder holder, some stalls, and dirty straw strewn around the ground.

"Arf!" the sudden sound startled the boy, and he spun around, only to see a small brown puppy looking up at him, its tail wagging with excitement. It barked again, panting with happiness. A wide grin spread across the boy's face, and he kneeled down, rubbing the pup's head affectionately.

"Hey! Hey you!" an angry voice sounded from behind him. "You can't just meander over here! This is private property!" he looked over to see an old man waving his cane excessively. His eyes were squinted, and a gray beard was growing on his chin, the same color as the hair on his head and the hair on his thick eyebrows.

"Um…" the boy scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly. "Do you know where Mr. Takeshi is? I came to visit. He stopped writing letters to me a while ago, so I wanted to check up on him." He noticed the old man's angry gaze dropped. Instead, a look of repentance and deplore replaced it.

"Oh, my boy…" he took a step forward. "Surely you do know that Mr. Takeshi died six months ago." The words echoed painfully in the boy's mind. He felt dazed and his heart thumped brutally against his chest.

"He…he did?" the words escaped the boy's mouth. The elder nodded slightly.

"I found his will a couple of days ago in his drawer. It said '_I leave my farm to dearest Hamutaro_'…now if only I can find this person…" The boy was stunned.

"Hey, that's me!" he exclaimed. The old man stopped his rambling and looked at him.

"Y-you're Hamutaro?" he asked. "But you're a city boy!" Hamutaro noticed that he was looking at his clothes, which had logos and all these pockets in them.

"I can take the job," Hamutaro frowned determinedly. "I'm not just 'some city boy'…"

"What about your parents?" the elder inquired.

Hamutaro blinked. "I'm an adult. I'm on my own, now." He would work it out with his mom when he contacted her. The old man laughed suddenly, making Hamutaro jump.

"You're a fine young man! I could tell!" he laughed. "This place is yours!"

"Thank you, sir-"

"Please, call me Elder Ham. It kinda matches your name, _Hamu_taro."

"Well, what about this dog?" Hamutaro asked, seeing the excited little puppy chasing its own tail. Elder Ham smiled, watching the dog for a while before turning back to Hamutaro.

"This was a puppy that wandered to this farm a couple of days ago. I fed him, and he's attached to this place. Would it be any trouble if you could take him?" Hamutaro grinned down at the small dog.

"Sure, Elder Ham," he smoothed down the pup's head, picking it up. "Does he have a name?"

"Well, I call him Brandy."

"Brandy…" Hamutaro murmured, rubbing its back. Elder Ham coughed, checking his watch.

"Oh, dear. I must get back to my home. Please visit sometime, it's next to the grocery shop. Meet my grandson, Noppo-kun, sometime. You can usually find him at his library." He hurried off, leaving him with his dog. Not too long after, a tough looking man came onto his farm. He had messy brown hair, and dark toned skin. His arms were rounded with muscles.

"Who are you?" he asked gruffly, his yellow hard hat swiveling on his head. Hamutaro immediately felt intimidated.

"Um…Mr. Takeshi left this farm to me…and, yeah…I'm going to live here, now…" he muttered nervously. The man looked confused.

"He did?" he asked confusedly. Then he let out a booming laugh. "Well, then welcome! I ship your things, if you don't know, so to earn money, just put nice things into that box over there," he pointed a couple of feet away from him. "You know, eggs and milk and stuff."

"Thanks…"

"Taishou," he answered for him. "The name's Taishou. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?" he asked. Hamutaro nodded, seeing that Taishou was kind.

"Well, make Old Man Takeshi proud!" He yelled over his shoulder. Those were the words that got Hamutaro motivated.

- - - **End of Chapter** - - -

**A/N: **Well, here I am with a new story, based off of my favorite games, **Harvest Moon**! I don't really know if I'll continue with **City Life**. I don't really know where I'm going with it…

**Hamutaro** – Hamtaro

**Ribon **– Bijou

**Koushi** – Oxnard

**Taishou **– Boss

**Noppo **– Maxwell

**Torahamu-chan** – Sandy

**Torahamu-kun** – Stan

**Mafura **– Pashmina

**Chibimaru** – Penelope

**Megane **– Dexter

**Maidou **– Howdy

**Panda** – Panda

**Snoozer** – Neteru

**Cappy** – Kaburu

**Tongari** – Jingle


	2. Mafurachan

**On my Own **

Various Pairings

**By Kaburu**

Based off of Harvest Moon.

**Notes**: Ohmegee! Thanks for all the positive reviews:D I probably will update _City Life_, although it will go by slowly.

- - - -

Hamutaro couldn't say that he _hated _his old life...well, it's just that the long hours at McDonalds with minimum wage really got to him after a while. How was he supposed to support himself? But he did have great friends, and a mom that actually cared about his education...but something told him that he needed a change. He somehow didn't feel like the city was his real home. When Elder Ham says that Hamutaro's old friend, Takeshi, whom he was writing to for several years until he passed on, left the farm to him, he took the chance. Hamutaro felt like he really needed to.

...but he just didn't expect that it would be so _hard_.

He guessed it started that following morning. His new bed was pretty comfy, and it was warm too. But then the alarm screamed suddenly, and it's safe to say that it scared him to death! Brandy was already awake, and he was already running around the house. Hamutaro was already awake enough (from the clock incident) to get up, and although his eyes were a bit drowsy, he was fine. Standing on the cold floor, Hamutaro checked the fridge. Sandwiches from Taishou-kun. He smiled.

After his and Brandy's stomachs were full enough, Hamutaro headed outside. And he came right inside again. God, can it be that cold, even at six in the morning! He grabbed his coat and left Brandy. And...what does he do now! Cloudy, early morning skies, no seeds, a few simple tools...how was he supposed to do anything! Hamutaro absentmindedly stuffed his hands into his coat pocket and looked down the gate, where the pebble road started. Ah well, might as well check around town.

Too bad nobody was awake yet. He looked so alone, standing in the middle of the road, his hands clenched with cold. "Nothin' to do, now...maybe this wasn't such a great idea..." he muttered to nobody in particular. He felt like a fool, spending fifteen minutes walking down there for nothing.

"Oh, good morning! Why are you just standing in the cold?" Hamutaro turned to find one of the most prettiest girls in his life. Her face was full of life and the two emerald eyes gazed at him shyly while her mouth was curved into a kind smile. And her thick yellow...golden hair went in a wavy line down her back. A stylish pink scarf was knotted cozily on her neck. "Please, come in!" Only then had Hamutaro realized that a large brick building towered behind her. A warm, welcoming sign urged them in, with two white rodents smiling around the swirled words "The Inn".

"Oh, thanks," he grinned, and he and the girl went inside. It was much warmer inside, with empty mugs cleaned and stacked on the counter, and comfortable wooden chairs pushed in neatly at each round table. The girl pulled up a chair. Her cheeks were red with cold. Hamutaro got a chair, too, and they sat down. For once, Hamutaro was at loss with words.

"Sorry about the mess. I get up early. This place isn't supposed to be open till nine. My partner, Koushi-kun, is upstairs, sleeping," she sighed contently. "He's not a morning person."

"I am, though," Hamutaro smiled, absentmindedly looking around. "This place looks great." The girl beamed as a thank-you.

",are you new here?" she inquired. "I've never seen you around, and nobody just _visits _this place..." her voice lowered an octave, and her eyes seemed downcast. Hamutaro didn't like it when she was sad. He quickly nodded.

"I took over Takeshi's place," he said, and he couldn't help sounding a bit proud. The girl cocked her head, her eyes twinkling.

"You did?" she asked. "Great. It just doesn't seem right for that farm to be empty..." Hamutaro suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, do you know where to get seeds? I have _no_ idea how to start out..."

"Seeds? Oh, you can get them over at the Grocery Store, down by the library! But never buy them from this guy at the beach when possible. His name's Spat, and he's really kind of mean, and he also raises the prices frequently..."

"Ah! Thank you...er..."

"Oh," the girl giggled suddenly. "My name's Mafura."

"And mine's Hamutaro."

"Hamu...taro?" Mafura asked, smiling. "That's a nice name, Hamutaro-kun. Oh, the market's opening in a little while. Do you want to get going?" She stared up at the clock, which was saying clearly: eight o' two.

"Thanks again, Mafura-chan," Hamutaro got up, scooting in the chair. "For your help, I mean."

"Visit anytime," she replied, holding out the door for him. The small bells hanging jingled merrily. "Bye." The door shut. Hamutaro finally turned.

"Okay...Taishou-kun said the library's thataway, so there'll also be the market!" Humming happily, he headed up the pebbled road, but...

"Oof!"

- - - -

**A/N: **I decided just to stop there. Not much of a cliff-hanger, and I'm still introducing the characters. Please be patient, cause I have school now. :3 And my chapters will be a bit short sometimes, like now.


	3. Getting Started

**On my Own **

Various Pairings

By **Kaburu**

Based off of **Harvest Moon**.

- - - -

He collided with the stranger, immediately falling onto his back. Hamutaro choked out the words, "I'm sorry!" immediately. He didn't want to be on the bad side with anyone. He guessed he expected a stream of cursing to come from the person, but not repeated apologies. Yes, the man was on his knees, picking up scattered books, echoing 'sorries' like there was no tomorrow. Hamutaro quickly got up and helped him collect his belongings. Hamutaro just hope he didn't damage anything.

After a couple of minutes, they both stood up. The man was tall, and also skinny. A messy bunch of brown hair rested on his head, while a crooked pair of reading glasses were perched on his nose. "I-I'm sorry," he said breathlessly. His arms were full of books again. Hamutaro felt a bit guilty.

"I hope I didn't damage anything," He looked up. The man looked surprised, but his face grew into one big smile. "Oh...these?" he asked. "Oh, these are old, so they could handle a few more beatings. Not valuable, either. So no harm done." He studied Hamutaro suddenly, making him feel uncomfortable. "Say, I've never seen you before."

"Oh, I took over Mr. Takeshi's farm," Hamutaro said hurriedly. "My name's Hamutaro."

"Hamutaro...hm..well, Takeshi-san was an extremely helpful man. It's just a shame about what happened to him..." his ocean-blue eyes got a faraway look, but then they snapped back to normal. "Oh, I'm Noppo, by the way."

"Noppo?" Hamutaro asked. "Oh, okay."

"Visit me in the library, okay?" Noppo asked cheerfully. "I'll be glad to see you there."

"Okay," Hamutaro gave him a charming smile, then they went their own ways, with Hamutaro heading towards the small flat building, where a homey roof smugly rested over it. A small wooden sign hung from the small stick hanging out of the wall. It was shaped like a fruit basket. He entered. "Hello, welcome to the store, how may I help you?" A voice sounded from inside, The words sounded tired, and like they were repeated many times before. "Hey, dude, I've never seen you here before!" Now they didn't. He came in contact with a handsome boy about Hamutaro's age with sandy yellow hair. He had brown bangs, and he wore a sleeveless green shirt with an apron, along with two black wristbands. His charming cerulean eyes glittered.

"Oh, hi," Hamutaro shrugged, a little intimidated by the boy's arupt statement. "...I'm new."

"Oh, cool! What's your name, Red?"

"Erm, Hamutaro."

"That's awesome!" the boy looked pleased. "I'm Torahamu-kun, by the way!" He turned. "Nee-chan! Sis! We have a new guy in town!" A girl flounced down from the second floor. Her features, to Hamutaro's surprise, was not that different from her brother's. She had the same colored hair that grew to the nape of her neck, but she had mischevious green eyes. Her skin color was a bit more fair than her brother's, but overall, they looked very similar. But in her fist, a long stick was held, a long pink ribbon flowing out of it.

"...are you..."

"Yeah, we're twins!" the girl chirped. "I'm Torahamu-chan! This is my brother."

"Urm, yeah, I could tell," Hamutaro laughed nervously. Torahamu-kun turned to his sister. "His name's Hamutaro, sis."

"Cool! We're in charge here till next week, since, like, out parents are out of town," she smiled. "What do'ya need?"

"Oh...a friend, Mafura-chan, told me that I could buy seeds here..." Torahamu-chan brightened.

"Mafura-chan? Okay, you're, like, now officially a _special_ customer!" she pulled his arm suddenly inside, and ignoring his discomfort, led him to a small wooden table in the front of the room. "Here ya are, Hamutaro-kun!" Several small boxes were placed neatly around the table, many packets filling them up. "It's only Spring, so we have the selections for this season. Cabbage, potato, turnips..." she twirled around some more. She was really energetic. "Take yer pick, like, and take your time! And I think we have strawberries and cucumbers around here, too..." She dug around. "Oh, here."

"Thanks, Torahamu-chan...Torahamu-kun," he added to the drowsy boy behind him. "I'll take these..." he held up a strawberry packet, along with a potato and cucumber. He picked up turnips, too.

"Okay, that totals to..." she added it up quickly in her head. "...750 gold!" Hamutaro shuffled around in his pockets, and found enough. He handed it to her. Ookay. 300 gold left, along with 1200 gold in my box under his bed..._I hope I can actually earn a living_! he thought worriedly.

"Hey, see ya later, dude..." Torahamu-kun called to him as he headed out. Hamutaro pondered a bit. He seemed so sad...maybe he doesn't like it here. Oh well, have to get to work...He arrived at _his_ (boy, did it feel good to say that) farm soon. He grabbed his hoe and watering can.

And an hour later, Hamutaro was tired. He had conqured ten small squares in a satisfying pattern, but it wasn't enough. If one packet could sustain four squares...sigh. Six more to go.

"Do you need help?"

The voice was soft, like a piece of beautifully flowing music. Hamutaro looked up, surprised. A girl stood there, and by her body shape, she was Hamutaro's age. Her skin was a creamy peach, and her eyes were a sparkling emerald. She had bleached hair, shining and tied neatly into a long ponytail with two silky blue ribbons. The girl wore a comfortable pair of loose jeans and a velvety white tank top. Every inch of her represented kindness.

"Um..." Hamutaro smiled. "You don't need to. I don't want you to get your clothes dirty."

"Oh, these are pretty old," the girl laughed. "I just take good care of my clothes, that is all. Anyway, I _insist_ to help." Hamutaro's smile remained, admiring the girl's determination.

"Okay..."

"Ribon. And you?"

"Hamutaro."

"Okay, Hamutaro-kun, I'll start planting some of your seeds. And you know, the best way is to press your finger slightly through the dirt, and put a few seeds in each small dent."

"How'd you know that?" Hamutaro looked down at her. Ribon gave him a small, sad smile.

"Mr. Takeshi. I came here a lot since I was young," her eyes went slightly cloudy. Like Noppo's, Hamutaro thought. "...he thought me a lot of secret things. Well, like what times most cows like to be fed, and how much you should feed the chickens...and plants, too. He also knew how much sunlight every one of them needed. He was amazing."...here." She stood up, admiring her neat work. Hamutaro envied how she planted.

"I can take it from here, Ribon-chan," Hamutaro smiled. "Thanks a lot for your help. I'm not that used to farm life, yet."

"You will soon...I can feel it," Ribon teased, gathering her messenger bag. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"All right...see you." Then, she left, a small chortling going through her heart, unceasing.

Why did Ribon-chan's heart feel so much warmer after her visit?

- - - **A/N:** - - -

Sorry if it was too dull/short. I didn't update in a long time, so I decided to stop there. (: I never have much time to update. And I'm still introducing characters, along with Ribon-chan. And by the way, I finally have the fourth Hamutaro movie. It was cute, but it could have been a bit better. And I was disappointed to see that the Mini-hamuzu group did not appear - instead, the main (nerdy) character came out and sang. She didn't sing badly, but the way she moved and looked was pretty weird. But for one part, before the theme (or during), Kaburu-kun and Ribon-chan came out in a bride and groom costume. Pretty funny. Maybe I'll consider writing about that non-canon pairing sometime...but know me, I like practically any pairing in Hamutaro, from MafuraxKoushi to NoppoxRibon.

,and for anyone who knows, is Lapis-chan and Lazuli-chan permenent Hamu-chans? 'Cause I don't really like them...they just don't fit in, and they just don't look..._normal_ as Hamu-chans. oO Probably their hair. Oh well...


	4. Megane, Chibimaru, and a Chicken

**On my Own **

Various Pairings

By **Kaburu**

Based off of** Harvest Moon**.

(I know a Chicken costs 1500 G in the GBA game, but shhh! Haha.)

- - - - **Spring 8th (Thursday)**- - - -

"Mmmphhh..." a tired mumbling was heard coming down slowly from the polished wooden stairs. Mafura smiled, putting down the cup she was cleaning for a while. She turned and saw her sleepy-eyed friend, bedhead included. She yawned widely, and sat down on one of the chairs.

"Ribon-chan!" Mafura giggled teasingly. "You never get up early!" Ribon lived at the Inn, as Mafura had given her a permenent room, free of charge.

Ribon cast her a reproachful glance. "I couldn't sleep anymore, no matter how hard I tried, okay?" She looked up at the clock on the wall. Its hands indictated that it was almost seven o' clock AM. Mafura leaned against the counter, pushing the wet cloth slightly out of the way.

"Tongari-kun's coming back the first day of summer," she said casually. Tongari was a talented musician, whom traveled around the world on foot, carefree. His companion was his solid red guitar, which he always strummed melodically. Ribon looked up, looking a bit more perky.

"Yes, I would hope so," she said. "Everyone's been missing him." _So have I, _she thought quietly.

"Mafura-chaaaan!" a deeper voice came from upstairs. Mafura sweat-dropped.

"Koushi-kun's probably having that nightmare where I take his last bag of sunflower seeds..." Mafura said, disgusted. "I'll go quiet him down before he wakes Kaburu-kun and Panda-kun. See you later, Ribon-chan..." She got up and after sighing heavily, went upstairs to shake her large friend out of his food-filled dreams.

- - - - **9:00 AM** - - - -

Hamutaro sprinted out of bed (as he had overslept terribly), thudding his bare feet on the cool dirt outside. He bent over his sixteen small patches, disappointed at seeing only the same sight he saw yesterday. Nothing but a small lump of dirt on each square.

"You really expect them to grow that fast?" a blunt voice asked behind him. Hamutaro felt his face flush (as he was wearing his pajamas, still) and he spun around, aware of Brandy's "intruder barks". There stood a man a bit older than Hamutaro, his hair lighter than black (almost like gray), and brushed neatly. He was very proper (with his glasses pressed up the rim of his nose), as he was wearing a gray sweater vest, along with a yellow polo shirt. On top, a red bow was tied, and his pants were those "nerd" kinds: velvety and above the knees. His shoes were loafers. Whoa.

Brandy kept barking.

"Um...well..."

"Yes, it's kind of exciting, growing your first crops, eh?" he stared wistfully at the small squares, but snapped his gaze back to Hamutaro. "You're..."

"Hamutaro...I just moved here." Man, was it a pain to keep repeating that!

"Oh, well, I'm Megane. I own a Chicken Farm. If you want to buy one, I'll give you a discount," Megane looked at him beadily. Hamutaro thought for a couple of seconds. He had about 1500 gold left, so if a chicken costs 500...

"Megane-kun, I'm willing to buy a chicken from you."

"Really!" the tidy boy went into smooth-style. "Well, I'll open up the shop now. Come by after you water your...plants." He left.

- - - - **9:20 AM** - - - -

Hamutaro entered the chicken shop/Megane's house interested. "Here. They're out back." Megane opened the back door, revealing dozens of squawking chickens. "What do you want? Nice? Naughty? Shy?"

"Um. Nice. I guess."

"Ookay. I know the perfect one!" Megane went out, then returned a few minutes later, carrying a pure white chicken in his arms. "Her name's June. She's a real sweetie."

"June?" Hamutaro took her in his own arms, and examined her. She was healthy and happy...perfect for Hamutaro. "Thanks, Megane-kun! She's great!" He dug out 500 gold, but Megane only took 450. He spent the discount money for somefodder (chicken food)."Bye, then!" he waved a little before leaving to his farm. June stayed silent on the way, and Hamutaro got her comfortably set up, along with an excited Brandy.

- - - - **3:00 PM** - - - -

"Nii-san!" a small girl of around eight pushed open her brother's door. Her long hair was a silky brown, but her bangs were covered by the hood of her bright yellow poncho. Her eyes were the same color, and they were large, innocent, and shy. "Nii-san, Grandpa asks why you aren't at church today."

Noppo frowned, turning around. "Chibi-maru, tell Grandfather that I was busy, okay?" The small girl nodded, and before she flounced off, Noppo added, "And you shouldn't stay inside during a day like this. Go out and play with Kaburu-kun, or visit the other new girl..."

"Torahamu-chan!"

"Yeah, her. Or her brother. But either way, you should be outside."

"_Fine_." Chibi-maru turned and skipped away. "...follow your own instructions."

"_What did you say_?"

"Nothing!"

- - - - **A/N: **- - - -

**N**o big plotline yet, but I decided to just stop there, and update in time for Halloween. ;D Thanks for the kind reviews.


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